In The News

Animal Agriculture

Despite the current challenges due to COVID-19, U.S. pork and beef exports are on a record pace through February. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently released the data, which showed U.S. pork exports posting the third-largest month on record and U.S. beef exports experiencing double-digit gains, year-over-year.
According to the data, February pork exports were up 46 percent from a year ago, and U.S. beef exports were up 18 percent from a year ago.
“Even as COVID-19 disrupted export markets, demand for U.S. red meats remained strong,” says Dean Meyer, director of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and secretary-treasurer of USMEF. “Around the world, consumer demand for high-quality red meat protein is growing and that includes a variety of meats.”
Meyer adds that USMEF is working closely with industry trade partners and the U.S. government in a concerted effort to keep the red meat supply chain from being disrupted in...

Today, March 19, is National Poultry Day! Consuming nearly 1.2 billion bushels annually, poultry is one of the top consumers of US corn. With poultry exports adding $.28 of value per bushel, a total of $4.1 billion in revenue, that’s nothing to squawk at. Whether you like them grilled, fried, or pecking around in your front yard; let’s all shake our tail feathers with some hen-thusiasm and celebrate these corn-converting protein machines! Learn more about corn and animal agriculture here.

The National Corn Growers Association’s Ann ual Report for the 2019 fiscal year is now available online. The report highlights memorable events and victories accomplished in a year characterized by weather and policy challenges.
“NCGA was in some pretty amazing positions in 2019. From sharing the stage with President Trump to having a beer with the Coors family after the Super Bowl attack on corn sweetener,” said 2019 NCGA First Vice President Kevin Ross from Iowa. “We are constantly prepared to engage, and we are looking for new allies and new conversations to represent corn growers better.”
Through unruly weather, flooding, sluggish markets and trade disruptions, NCGA members kept moving forward together to reach long-term, strategic goals to improve prices and the overall future of the industry. As the year ended NCGA’s grassroots efforts resulted in several major trade victories, a strong support system through the farm bill, and more opportunity for E15 and other...

By Jesse Fulton, M.S., Director of Producer Education
With the beef industry going through continuous changes and advancements, it is important cattlemen and women across the country are “in the know”, which is where the Cattlemen’s Education Series (CES) comes into play. This partnership between the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is designed to provide resources to NCBA state and breed affiliates through a grant which allows them to extend outstanding educational experiences locally. The mission of the CES is to provide cutting-edge information to beef producers that contributes to increased knowledge, profitability and sustainability.
With approximately 32 percent of the Nation’s 2018 corn crop being utilized as animal feed, this partnership is important as it promotes corn products and by-products utilized in the cattle industry.
“I understand the importance of being able to deliver a quality product for...

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased to announce Michael Granchè is joining the organization as market development manager. Granchè will serve as a contact for NCGA’s animal agriculture partners and will work on export and transportation issues.
“Michael’s leadership, experience, professionalism and background are a great fit for this position,” said NCGA Market Development Director Sarah McKay. “In this position, Michael will be an integral part of the team, providing staff support for the Market Access Action Team and liaising with many of our trade, transportation and animal agriculture industry stakeholders.”
Granchè was a policy and communications intern at the National Association of Wheat Growers in Washington, D.C. in 2016 and 2018. During his internship, he attended Commodity Classic, went to congressional hearings and analyzed policy that impacted the wheat industry. He was also a communications and marketing intern at Virginia Tech and has...

The U.S. Meat Export Federation held their annual Spring Conference last week in Kansas City. Staff and members from the National Corn Growers Association and state corn associations were present. The conference featured updates on the positive growth of red meat exports and included presentations on U.S. trade related challenges and opportunities, an update from United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, country and region-specific marketing efforts and the global impact of African Swine Fever (ASF).
“There were a number of items on the trade front discussed at the meeting, including Japan’s lifting of longstanding restrictions on U.S. beef exports,” said Director of Market Development Sarah McKay. “That equates to $23 million in incremental value to corn growers in the U.S. Updates from other markets included, Mexico removing retaliatory duties on U.S. pork and Canada eliminating a 10 percent duty on...

The National Corn Growers Association participated in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s Feed Transparency Summit at McDonalds Headquarters in Chicago last week. Representatives from the major grain aggregators, feed yards, packers, brands and retailers, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were also present.
“Continuing to be a part of these conversations is extremely important, as corn and DDGs are a primary component of rations fed to beef cattle,” said NCGA First Vice President and Iowa farmer Kevin Ross. “The meeting was the first step towards exploring opportunities to pilot a collaborative project between the grain and beef value chains to improve transparency. Consumers are asking more and more questions about where their food comes from. The summit brought together stakeholders from across the beef supply chain to discuss that.”
Each group in attendance had the opportunity to expand upon the challenges and opportunities within their industry and...

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) held the first Distillers Feed Products Nutrition Roundtable, bringing together animal ag partners, animal nutrition experts and ethanol technology providers to discuss the changing number and nutrient profile of distillers feed products.
“Our goal is to start a meaningful dialogue across segments of the supply chain,” said NCGA Director of Market Development Sarah McKay. “This is just one of the many steps to better understanding how new corn fractionation technologies are being deployed in dry mills in the U.S. These technologies create value by separating out the various components of corn to allow improved utilization of the subsequent product streams. While this technology has a lot of potential for early adopters and could increase corn grind, it will require a change in how the value chain views and uses the products of ethanol plants. Gathering stakeholder input and starting a dialog early should help the rollout of this...

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) partnered with the U.S. Meat Export Federation to update a study on the value of red meat exports to domestic U.S. corn growers. The original study was conducted in 2015. In 2018, the study showed beef and pork exports used a combined total of 14.9 million tons of corn and DDGS, which equates to an additional 459.7 million bushels of corn produced – an increase of 29 percent over the 2015 projections.
Other highlights from the updated study:
Since 2015, one in every four bushels of added feed demand for corn is due to beef and pork exports.
About 11 percent of the price of corn this year will be derived from red meat exports.
Red meat exports’ impact on corn price is 39 cents per bushel (based on the annual average price of $3.53 per bushel).
There would be a loss of $5.7 billion in corn value without red meat exports.
“It’s important to continue to foster these types of relationships to continue to grow demand for red...

Former Congressman John Dingell, who represented Southeast Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 60 years passed away on Thursday. He was 92 years old.
Dingell was the longest-serving member of Congress, holding office from 1955-2014. He played significant roles on landmark pieces of legislation impacting health care, environment, food safety and civil rights. He was also a major player in enacting both the RFS1 and RFS2, increasing market demand for U.S. corn.
“Congressman Dingell was successful, in part, because he took full stock of the issue at hand, bluntly asking those visiting his office what the problem was and how it could be solved, and then using the legislative process to find a solution,” said NCGA CEO Jon Doggett.
“He was a great American. We don’t have many like him in Congress now, and our nation is poorer for it,” Doggett added.

The National Corn Growers Association would like to announce that Sarah McKay, manager of market development, has been promoted to the role of director. McKay joined NCGA in August of 2017. She replaces Jim Bauman, who was promoted to the position of vice president of market development.
“Since coming to NCGA, Sarah has made a huge impact on our work and relationship with our animal agriculture industry partners,” said Jim Bauman, vice president of market development. “Sarah has taken the lead on a number of sustainability initiatives for NCGA and has helped shape the Feed, Food and Industrial Action Team into what it is today. Her work and knowledge of issues impacting the livestock industry has been an important asset for NCGA.”
Before coming to NCGA, McKay worked as a part of the procurement / supply chain team supporting dairy operations at General Mills. She interned with both Senator Mark Warner and former Representative Eric Cantor. McKay has a master’s degree in...

Farmers and industry representatives from around the world participated in various animal ag events over the past three weeks.
National and state staff, members of the Feed Food and Industrial Action Team (FFIAT) and state grower leaders participated in World Meat Congress, World Pork Expo and the American Feed Industry Association’s Feed Industry Institute.
NCGA was a sponsor of World Meat Congress in Dallas, Texas. With more than 700 people in attendance, the event featured sessions focused on the latest trends in the red meat supply chain including block chain, whole genome sequencing, and gene editing. Other sessions included panels of experts on agricultural trade, consumer engagement and branding.
At World Meat Congress, NCGA was able to share information on corn-fed beef and pork, as well as help host pork and beef tasting and seminars for VIP international customers. Making these connections and having these conversations is key to building upon, maintaining and...

The following was first issued as a press release from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
The National Corn Growers Association is stepping up to support the education of U.S. beef producers in states around the country. The assistance is being provided through a grant program offered to state affiliates of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association that conduct Cattlemen’s Education Series events.
The Cattlemen’s Education Series is a collaborative effort to advance grassroots education on topics that improve cattle production efficiency, profitability and sustainability. The partnership builds on other successful programs currently in NCBA’s Producer Education portfolio, such as Stockmanship & Stewardship, Cattlemen’s College and the Cattlemen’s Webinar Series. The Cattlemen’s Education Series provides grants for state affiliates to host timely and relevant education sessions for their local members.
“Corn plays an important role in the cattle industry, and NCGA...

The National Corn Growers Association partnered with the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council to conduct a study on the benefits of poultry exports to corn. The study, conducted by World Perspectives, Inc., entitled “Corn and Poultry: A Great Partnership,” outlined the benefits realized by America’s corn farmers from exports of poultry and eggs.
“Continuing to partner with the poultry industry is a key priority for our organization,” said Feed, Food & Industrial Action Team Chair Bruce Peterson, a grower in Minnesota. “Poultry producers are a large customer of corn, both domestically and abroad. It’s important to grow demand through our partnerships in animal agriculture, which is why we funded the study.”
Some highlights of the study include:
Poultry feed utilization:
6 lb. broiler uses 8 lb. of corn, 1 lb. of DDGS and 3 lb. SBM
28 lb. turkey uses 47 lb. of corn, 4 lb. of DDGS and 18 lb. SBM
1 dozen eggs from a layer represents 2 lb. of corn and 1 lb. of...

The National Corn Growers Association recently attended the Aquaculture America Conference to learn more about the industry and make connections with companies to discuss the benefits of corn and corn byproducts in aquaculture diets.
NCGA met with a number of companies and representatives while at the conference, including tru SHRIMP of Minnesota, Prairie Aquatech of South Dakota, Eagles Catch of Iowa, and various feed mills and feed ingredient companies including Cargill, Zeigler, ADM, Blue Ridge Aquafeeds and BlueWater Feed Company.
“Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world,” said Feed Food & Industrial Action Team Chair Bruce Peterson. “However, 90 percent of U.S. seafood is imported today, representing a large opportunity to expand domestic production facilities. Aquaculture farmers continue to explore opportunities to increase the amount of plant-based feed ingredients used in their operations. Corn-based feed could provide an economical and...

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) staff met with the U.S. Meat Export Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), and Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) this week to discuss trade, policy, and opportunities for collaboration in the future.
At USMEF topics covered included the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement to both meat and corn exports, current beef and pork export trends, challenges, and future opportunities for international trade. Also, ideas were shared for partnering on future projects.
Discussion continued at NCBA and CBB where staff considered partnering on research projects to improve feed efficiency and decrease the environmental impact of meat production. New corn traits that might be of benefit to livestock producers because of feed quality and price efficiency were also discussed.
An ongoing dialogue between the organizations to compare goals and current policy priorities is critical to collaboration, said Chris Novak,...